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Some people say, "Oh, there's anti-science on both sides of the political aisle." But that neglects one important fact: in only ONE political party are the leadership and the party platform dominated by science denial.

Posts Tagged ‘Fourth of July’

Well, another Skepchicon/Convergence has come and gone, and once again I had a blast in Minneapolis. Of course, it wasn’t all play – though there was plenty of that (as evidenced with the photo of me below in the Mos Icee Cantina 🙂 ) – because I participated in a number of good panels on a variety of topics related to skepticism and science. I recorded every panel in which I took part, and I reproduce this audio along with a brief description of the panel for you below. Enjoy!

Modern Day Snake Oil – in this panel, the topic of various forms of alternative “medicine” were discussed, from homeopathy to magnetic therapy.

To Vaxx or Not To Vaxx – here we discussed the anti-vaccination movement and why their pseudoscience is dangerous. Also discussed were some facts about how vaccines do and don’t work, and why it is so important that people vaccinate even if they think it isn’t necessary.

Stuff I Didn’t Know – the panelists share with the audience some of the neat things they’ve learned recently, and the audience gets in on the action as well.

Common Hollywood Science Myths – we all like going to the movies or watching our favorite shows on TV/cable, but boy oh boy does Hollywood screw up a lot of science in the process of entertaining us. The panelists share some of their pet peeves and also compliment Hollywood when they get it right.

Ask A Scientist Open Forum – just as the name suggests, this panel consisted of audience members asking the panel a variety of questions on everything from the Big Bang to dentistry!

It’s time for SkepchiCON at Convergence 2011 in Minneapolis! Actually, it will be time in a week for SkepchiCON (specifically June 30-July 3). For those who don’t know, Convergence is a big science fiction and fantasy convention which takes place annually in the upper Midwest, catering to all manner of sci-fi/fantasy fans, as well as those who just like to dress up and have a good time 🙂

I’ll be going to SkepchiCON again this year, because in addition to being a science teacher/professor, I’m also a big fan of much science fiction, fantasy, and so on. Like other skeptic tracks at other cons, SkepchiCON is geared towards presenting the skeptical & pro-science/pro-critical thinking point-of-view in a fun & friendly environment. Actually, on a serious note, it is worth paying attention to the fact that these sorts of venues are perfect for spreading the skeptical message beyond hard-core skeptics; if we are to truly encourage others to think critically about paranormal and pseudoscientific claims, then we need to preach less to the choir and go more public. This means exploring new venues such as these fun and freaky conventions, and it also means putting ourselves out there in more direct interaction with many people who harbor these nonsense beliefs. Even though it can sometimes be quite galling to have to put up with various kinds of woo-woo nonsense and its adherents, we can all enjoy a good party 🙂

I will be attending SkepchiCON and participating in a number of panel discussions, in addition to generally checking things out. I’ll also be there as a representative of the Women Thinking Free Foundation, dedicated to promoting critical thinking and skepticism among women of all ages who are so often targeted by the woo-meisters. If you get a chance, find me and say hello!

Last, but not least, in case you are interested… I plan to live blog many parts of SkepchiCON, so watch this space!

Ted: What are some of our favorite misconceptions regarding evolution?

Bug: I think my favorite one is that “bumblebees shouldn’t be able to fly”. In Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee Movie” they said that bee’s should not be able to fly, so it must be a miracle. But this is premised on the assumption that the wings of bees are fixed, whereas in reality they bend & are flexible.

Greg: The misconception that humans evolved from apes or that they didn’t evolve from apes, because they are both correct AND incorrect. But there’s a new one most people don’t know about, and that’s that behaviors can be genetic. Behaviors develop in individuals in ways that are mostly determined by the environment and not by your genes. This relates to gender issues, race, etc. My issue is that there is a Darwinian theory of behavior.

PZ: This has to do with sex & evolution and the panel last night… here’s what was happening all the time. People raised their hands and asked “why am I gay?” And people on the panel were trying to figure this out, whereas the reality is that most of what makes you human (and who you are) comes about purely by chance. What has been subject to selection in the last few million years? Our immune system and sexual selection. And when you analyze the genome further you find a handful of proteins that show signs of selection, and most of them are doing very obscure sort of things. For example, genes for lactose tolerance show up which show signs of selection. Otherwise, all this speculation about a “gay gene” doesn’t just work – most of that is the product of chance, not selection.

At the end of day two at Convergence/Skepchicon, I had the privilege of being on the “Physics or Fantasy?” panel with Jennifer Ouellette, Stephanie Zvan, Lois Schadewald, Jim Kakalios, G. David Nordley, and Pamela Gay. We discussed a lot of questions & ideas regarding modern physics and the reality and/or myths associated with it. It was a very lively discussion that we had with a packed room (on Friday night, even!), and I was very happy to be included. Unfortunately, since I was on the panel, I couldn’t transcribe the discussion – but I did record it for you. Just click this link to go to the audio (it will open a PowerPoint file with audio embedded)… Skepchicon-Physics or Fantasy

I said in my previous post that I would live blog various panels I attended here at Convergence 2010, but that was before I figured out I couldn’t get wireless Internet access because I’m staying in a different hotel. Oh bugger – that’s okay, I’ll just pseudo-live blog 🙂

My first evening at Skepchicon consisted of getting checked into my hotel, running into PZ Myers in the lobby, meeting up with some of the lovely Skepchicks in a restaurant, taking copious notes at the Skepticism 101 panel discussion tonight in the Science & Technology track, and partying with the Skepchicks (btw, “Buzzed Aldrins” kick a lot of ass!). While I could go on and on about it all, I will only elaborate on the Skepticism 101 panel – what follows below is my accounting (as best as I could do it) of the discussion. Enjoy…

Pamela Gay is introducing the panel and saying hello, and since we have no moderator at the moment, she’s taking over. The panelists are introducing themselves now.

Pamela Gay says the real universe is far more awesome than the shit some people make up.

Pamela: How do you inflict skeptical thinking upon others?

Greg: Why are the skeptics in the room here? I never really thought of skepticism as a movement until recently, by interacting with people via the blogosphere. People engaging in this movement have to understand that this is not a highly monolithic thing. Some people invited to panels like Skepchick panels are actually offended, because not all skeptics are like the Skepchicks. It is an important community, but it isn’t necessarily a warm & fuzzy “welcoming” movement.

Pamela: At least skeptics are much more polite than people who tell you that you’re going to hell.

Every July 4th weekend, there is apparently a big science fiction & fantasy convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota called Convergence, and this year I’m going for the first time 🙂

That’s partly because in addition to being a science teacher/professor, I’m also a big fan of much science fiction, fantasy, and so on. In addition, like what has happened in recent years at other cons like Dragon*Con, there has evolved a skeptical track at Convergence, specifically called Skepchicon.

Like other skeptic tracks at other cons, Skepchicon is geared towards presenting the skeptical & pro-science/pro-critical thinking point-of-view in a fun & friendly environment. Actually, on a serious note, it is worth paying attention to the fact that these sorts of venues are perfect for spreading the skeptical message beyond hard-core skeptics; if we are to truly encourage others to think critically about paranormal & pseudoscientific claims, then we need to preach less to the choir and go more public. This means exploring new venues such as these fun & freaky conventions, and it also means putting ourselves out there in more direct interaction with many people who harbor these nonsense beliefs. Even though it can sometimes be quite galling to have to put up with various kinds of woo-woo nonsense & its adherents, we can all enjoy a good party 🙂

I will be attending Skepchicon and participating in the “Physics or Fantasy?” panel, in addition to generally checking things out. I’ll also be there as a representative of the Women Thinking Free Foundation, dedicated to promoting critical thinking & skepticism among women of all ages who are so often targeted by the woo-meisters.

Last, but not least, in case you are interested… I plan to live blog many parts of Skepchicon, so watch this space!